University-wide training provision begins with a one-day postgraduate induction conference followed by a day long training workshop. These sessions focus on the wider University context and introduce things such as the Student Counselling Service, the Statistical Advisory Service, the Library services and the Academic Computing Service. Later in the year there are time-management workshops and presentation skills workshops for the benefit of all postgraduate students in the University.
The OU Library offers a range of information management skills training, which includes generic training sessions in the use of individual information resources, and subject-specific training sessions run for faculty groups by subject librarians. All new research students are invited to take part in library induction and training sessions, which are tailored to suit their subject and level of ability, and incorporate all aspects of finding and handling information e.g. using the internet, identifying and using relevant information resources, managing references using Endnote bibliographic software. Full details are available on-line through their WWW pages.
Throughout the year there are also training courses organised by the IT Training Office in the Academic Computing Service which are open to all members of the University, including postgraduate students. The programme covers such topics as computer operating systems, word processing, spreadsheets, analytical software and management tools, databases, e-mail, the internet, and desk-top publishing and presentations. A similar programme is offered each year and includes formal courses, self-taught courses and self-paced videos and computer based training.
All Open University full-time postgraduates are also entitled to register for study on any of the University's taught courses without fee liability. Since the University offers around 200 undergraduate taught courses and 100 postgraduate taught courses each year, there is plenty of scope for choice. In practice our students only occasionally take undergraduate courses and then in areas supporting their research, such as statistics.
